Makana (Gift)
by jenthetrulysly
Summary: The petite secretary shrieked in alarm as she rushed around her desk and sank down to her knees beside the fallen detective. "Danny!"


_AN - I've got some time between my last and next exams, so please enjoy this longer offering from me. Comments are always appreaciated, mahalo :)_

* * *

Detective Dan Williams stood on a stepladder borrowed from the building maintenance people, using a hot glue gun to stick the banner onto the walls. After many attempts with blue-tack and pins, the large heavy fabric refused to stay in place. He discovered that if he used a combination of pins and hot glue then it would stay in place. He didn't want to consider what would have to happen when the banner had to come down.

Having worked for Five-O for a few years gave the Second-In-Command a good working knowledge of what McGarrett liked or disliked. This year's 'Happy Birthday, Steve' banner was rather simple, in muted colors of cream and the Irish detective's favorite shade of navy blue. Chin and Kono had pushed out the large wooden table and piled plenty of presents from both the ohana and the adoring public onto the surface, so much so that the table actually sagged under the weight of all of the gifts to be had by the dark haired man. Following the disaster with the car bomb a few years ago, Danny had all of the gifts run through Forensics to ensure that there were no hidden dangers to them.

While he tried to attach the banner to the wall, Chin was busy running around the Palace trying to get as many people as possible – those who knew Steve of course – to sign the Head of Five-O's birthday card as Kono was busy keeping a lookout for when Steve arrived at the Palace. If things were going to go according to schedule, they still had a good half hour before their Boss arrived. Given that he was due in court for most of the day, the team decided to surprise him at the first instance on his Birthday, when he still had some time to enjoy cake.

There was a click as the handle to the main entrance door turned.

"Morning Danny!" Jenny beamed as she entered the office. "Wow, that looks great! Steve's going to love being surprised like this." The sounds of rustling told Dan that she had just placed something onto her desk as she shrugged out of her jacket, hanging it on the back of her chair as she put her handbag down. "The cake turned out well, Steve's favorite of course."

"That's great, Jenny." He turned to give her cheerful smile and began to climb down the stepladder. "Let's have a – WOAH!"

In his excitement to get down the step ladder as quickly as possible he missed the second rung, falling backwards as his arms pinwheeled in a useless attempt to stop the momentum of the fall. However it was not enough and he slammed his head onto the edge of the table with the presents with a sickening crack.

The petite secretary shrieked in alarm as she rushed around her desk and sank down to her knees beside the fallen detective. "Danny!" She gasped, bringing his head to rest in her arms as she tried to check his vitals. He was still breathing and had a strong pulse but he was not responding to her calls or to the gentle shaking she had started on his shoulders. Pulling in shaky breaths, she rose unsteadily to her feet and ran towards the nearest phone on her desk.

Leaning across the smooth surface of the wood, she snatched the handset up and pressed it to her ear as she used her other hand to press zero. After a few moments she was connected with an operator. As Jenny rushed out her request for an ambulance to get to the Five-O offices as soon as possible, Kono re-entered the offices with a triumphant smile on his face. The smile quickly disappeared to become one of intense horror. "Auwe," he gasped softly as he bent down over the prone form of his friend. He could see a small trickle of blood coming out of the curly haired detective's right ear and he was unnervingly still. "Hey, Danno, bruddah..." he tried unsuccessfully to get Danny to open his eyes.

He looked up at Jenny in confusion and fear, "What happened?"

"Danny was hanging up the happy birthday sign when I came in with the cake. He missed the second step on the step ladder then fell backwards and hit his head on the table." Jenny paused to wipe the single tear that had collected at the edge of her eyes. "This is all my fault, Kono. If I..."

"Shhhhh, it's okay," Kono soothed, before he brought her to the nearest chair and ushered her down into it. Quickly retrieving the box of tissues from the desk drawer, he offered the box to her. Jenny nodded her head in thanks as she took a few and used them to dab at the corner of her eyes. "You've called for an ambulance?"

In the distance they could hear the sounds of a siren getting louder and louder. They weren't sure if it was a siren from a HPD car or an ambulance. They both prayed for the later. "Yes, Kono. I have," Jenny sniffled into the tissue and cleared her throat, clearly trying to regain control over her reactions. She had always had a soft spot for Danny, having always been willing to go the extra mile for the young man and act in a maternal sort of role when he was too busy to look after himself. She always kept an eye out for Dan, making sure that he had always had lunch to eat and that he left the offices at a somewhat reasonable hour. To be responsible for him being hurt, to be thrust into this position of not knowing really hurt her in ways she couldn't explain. She was horribly mad and disappointed with herself – she had failed.

"Steve's not gonna be too happy when he sees this," the Hawaiian detective mused aloud as he stood up and headed into Steve's office and out onto the lanai, just in time to the very familiar black LTD pull into the reserved space for no other than McGarrett himself. "We'll be in plenty of pilikia."

"If not already," she insightfully quipped. "We can't just leave him here like this, let's get him onto the sofa."

Kono came back into the office. Together, the petite secretary and the Hawaiian detective made for an incongruous sight as they gently lifted their unconscious detective onto the sofa, with Jenny maneuvering a pillow to prop his head up. If it weren't for the trail of blood that trickled down his ear, slowly staining his shirt Danny might have been sleeping. The secretary crouched down to kneel by Dan's side to check his condition. She used the opportunity to brush an errant sandy colored curl away from his face as she grimaced with worry.

The sound of the door suddenly opening behind them caused Jenny and Kono to jump. Quickly standing up and spinning around, the two parted just enough so that Steve could see his Second-In-Command lying on the sofa with his eyes closed. He grinned at the thought of Danno being tired after a night party at the Pipe but the cheerfulness diminished when he saw Dan's shirt collar stained with red. "Danno!"

Rushing to cross the space between them, Kono and Jenny parted more so that Steve could see for himself what the young detective's condition was. After a few moments he cast his steely blue gaze to the other two occupants in the room. "Okay, from the top. What happened here?"

"Danny was on the stepladder putting up decorations for your birthday and he fell from the stepladder. He hit his head on the edge of the table and hasn't woken up since." Jenny paused to clear her throat as her voice waned a little. "We called an ambulance, Steve - it's on its way."

"Happy birthday, Boss," Kono added sadly, almost as an afterthought.

McGarrett nodded, the sounds of the ambulance siren reaching a crescendo before cutting off completely. That told him that it had arrived at the Palace. Quickly moving out of the way, the lead detective made a hand gesture which had Jenny and Kono moving out of the way as he rushed to the anteroom door to push it open all the way before scrambling down the stairs. He arrived at the foot of the stairs in time to see two EMTs carrying a gurney inside, past the information desk. "Up the stairs," he growled in a sharp tone as he took the lead, taking them up to the Five-O offices.

Finally reaching the top of the landing, the EMTs proceeded into the main space of the offices. While McGarrett was downstairs Kono had pushed the coffee table to the side as close to the wall as possible to give the medics more room to work. They immediately lowered the gurney and with Steve's help, lifted Danny's limp form off the sofa onto the stretcher. The dark haired detective tried not to notice how Danno's arm swung lazily, almost like a ragdoll's before they had a chance to strap him fully.

"Are we dealing with a head injury here?" The brown haired ambulance officer asked as he pressed two fingers against the hollow of Dan's throat, searching for a pulse. His blonde companion was busy securing the straps that would hold the Second-In-Command in place.

"Yes, he fell and hit his head on the edge of the table," the Head of Five-O confirmed. He pressed his lips into a thin line as the brown haired medic double-checked the straps. "Are those secured properly?"

Once everything was secure and after multiple checks the two EMTs carefully lifted up the unconscious man on the gurney and slowly began to descend the stairs. Before McGarrett followed them, he moved over to where Jenny was huddled, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. "Love," he started softly. If anything, the gentle tone of his words caused her to snap her gaze up and onto him. He gave her a small smile and blinked. "Dry those tears. Danno's going to be okay. Clear my schedule this morning. If anyone needs me I'll be at Queen's Hospital."

Jenny nodded in understanding. The secretary and the head of Five-O shared a meaningful look before McGarrett laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently in a show of support before he turned on his heel and followed the medics down the staircase again.

She couldn't help but smile as the patented Irish stubbornness filtered up the stairway.

"There is only ONE right way to do this and it's MY way!"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Steve hovered around the edge of the viewing window, peering anxiously at the curmudgeon doctor as he conducted the examination of his patient. The lead detective sighed as he waited for any news on Danny's condition. He would rather have waited for news than be forced to face what the feelings that stirred through him when it came to Dan meant.

Somewhere, somehow along the way his Second-In-Command had managed to slip past the emotional barriers, the walls of ice that he had constructed to protect himself from being hurt. Insidiously, as Dan's tenure with Five-O lengthened they had struck up an easy camaraderie that was both welcome and terrifying at the same time. It was something that had gone from boss to subordinate, surpassing friendship – they had become as close as blood brothers, perhaps closer than many. This accident had made him realize that when it came to Danno, he was willing to go the extra yard, run the extra mile to ensure that the younger man was okay. Without a thought he had cleared his schedule this morning to stand guard like a sentinel, awaiting any news on Danny's condition at the hospital. He could have spared Chin or Kono or even _Duke _but the dark haired man had chosen to wait for news himself.

The sounds of the door barging open caused the worried detective to snap his steely blue gaze up in time to see Dr Bergman's egress from the room. McGarrett was on him in a beat. "How is he, Doc?" Steve asked as he watched the grey haired man eagerly.

"Danny has a mild concussion when he fell off the stepladder." Bergman reported drily, "But other than a large and nasty bump on his head, he is still in one piece." At Steve's look he quickly added, "We'll keep him here overnight just in case for observation, but he should wake up soon."

Relief seeped into every nerve and he exhaled a breath of gladness as he erupted into a grin. "Mahalo."

"We'll move him to a room and then you can see for yourself that he is alright," the Medical Examiner continued. "Seriously – trouble follows you and your detectives like a magnet." Shaking his head, Bergman let the thought slip past his lips. "Dan can't even hang a banner up without warranting a trip to see me!"

Detecting the note of – was it affection? – lurking beneath the deceptively condescending words, McGarrett nodded as clapped a hand on Bergman's shoulder, conveying everything he couldn't put into words through his weighty gaze. Finally he let go, and the doctor huffed before spinning on his heel to walk down the corridor, before stopping at the nurse's station to undoubtedly arrange a room for Dan.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**"**Where's the gun?**"** The Oriental detective demanded into the phone, scribbling some details about the Smith and Wesson that had fired the two rounds which had killed Jimmy and Kylie Kamekona. "Does Che Fong have it – if so, has he run a ballistics test? We need the results as soon as possible. We're holding Watson on suspicion of murder but we need something that will stick, bruddah." Putting the pen in his hand down, he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

"Auwe!" Kono groaned, barely resisting the urge to bury his head in his hands at the catastrophic mistake that had just occurred. Jenny was busy arranging the pile of presents on the table in a neat sort of jumble as Chin sat at his desk, diplomatically handling all of the duties that Steve had to look after that morning.

Hearing the Hawaiian detective's distress, Chin hung up the phone and walked over to the table where Kono was standing in front of a large white box. "What is it, Kono? Something wrong?"

"You betcha," the portly detective replied, before lifting the edge of the white box up for the Chinese detective to see for himself. Despite himself, Kono let out a whistle. "I have no idea how we're gonna fix 'dis."

"The cake shop's made a mistake – can we get another one?" Chin double-checked, obviously displeased with the mistake.

"Not likely," Jenny chimed in, coming around to lift the cake out of the box and place it on the table. It was a large rectangular cake with what looked like fruit cream and 'Happy 74th Birthday, Steve!' written in large, cursive letters with chocolate icing. "That cake was a special order and there's no way that they can whip one up so quickly. Besides, Steve's expected back at any moment."

"How did 'dis happen though? We get the cake from the same place every single year!" Kono mused.

"Not this year," Jenny corrected. "The cake shop we usually get it from – the family who runs it has gone on holiday back to Hong Kong. I had to go to the one we went to two years ago."

Unbidden, they all stiffened when the memory of the explosion that had rocked the office two years ago surfaced in their memory. Kono had to double back to the Palace after hearing about the car bomb and Chin had rushed back as soon as the first police reports identified the victim as Steve McGarrett. Jenny unconsciously brought a hand up to wipe at the wet moisture collecting at the corner of her eye as she recalled the horror when she saw McGarrett struggling to overcome his temporary blindness and fail miserably.

"Maybe that's why," she pondered softly, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place with each passing moment. "We placed an order for a cake for Steve's joke 70th birthday cake and they probably remembered the number."

"It's only been two years, there are two more years then there should be on there," Chin added thoughtfully.

"Now dat's cause dey made a mistake," Kono contributed helpfully.

"I'm sure Steve will appreciate it," the petite secretary confirmed as she adjusted the position of the cake to ensure that is was straight, taking great care to ensure it was. "A little humor goes a long way on days like these, makes them all the better."

"So what did you get him?" Chin queried, smoothly changing the subject.

The telephone rang, and Kono rushed to get it. Snatching up the handset, he answered. "Five-O, Kono Kalakaua speaking. Yo!" At the familiar greeting, Chin and Jenny deduced that it was Steve on the other end. Crowding around the wooden desk in the cramped cubicle, they waited anxiously for any news of Dan.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**"**Open your eyes.**"**

Listening to the firm yet gentle demand, Five-O's youngest detective complied. Immediately his range of vision was assaulted but harsh white light and he peered to his left to see Bergman hovering to the side of his bed, before the physician used a small light to shine into his eyes to check his pupil responses. Seemingly satisfied, Doc withdrew the small light and Dan blinked, readjusting his sight to the more natural lighting.

"Danno!" a very familiar voice to his right called. He slowly moved his head to see Steve standing by the side of his bed, the dark haired man's fingers skimming the wrinkles on the cotton sheets. McGarrett grinned, and from the relaxing of his shoulders Dan could tell that his friend was relieved – very relieved.

"Good to have you back Dan!" Bergman cried cheerfully, a grin spreading across his face. "How are you feeling?"

Instantaneously the young man became aware of the insistent throbbing pain on the pack of his head and the killer headache. Groaning, he used a hand to reach up to rub at the back of his head, wincing when his fingers ghosted over the tender flesh there. It seemed that the area was very inflamed. "My head feels like someone tried to split it open."

"Do you remember what happened?" Bergman gently prompted.

Scrunching his brows as he sifted through his memory, he recalled getting up on a stepladder to attach the banner to the wall… Then Jenny had come in and he had no memory of what happened next. Slowly, he verbalized his thought process. "I was up on the stepladder," he paused, flicking his clear blue eyes anxiously to Steve, whose grin only got wider.

"I know all about it," the Head of Five-O admitted with no small amount of pleasure. "No use in hiding it anymore, Danno."

Dan groaned. All that hard work for nothing. Clearing his throat, he continued. "I was on the stepladder hanging something onto the wall… Jenny came in and… and…"

"And what?" the doctor encouraged, peering intently at the man on the bed. So far, he had observed no signs of a major head injury but he would rather err on the side of caution – anything less and McGarrett was going to have his head. When it came to any of the Five-O detectives – especially Dan Williams – the lead detective was as tenacious as they came, demanding nothing but the best for his men.

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. Everything blacked out afterwards."

"You fell off the stepladder and hit your head on the edge of the table," Steve supplied helpfully.

"So far, you seem to have a concussion. But I have scheduled you in for a head x-ray a bit later today just to be sure. You just have a very nasty bump to your head. I want to keep you here for twenty fours hours for observation although I know that you won't comply." Fetching his prescription pad from his pocket and a black pen, the physician began scribbling quickly onto the paper. "I will write you a script for some painkillers." Tearing off the paper he handed to Steve, who studied it intensely. "He can take two of those after every meal and they should help with the headache. I gather that he will be spending the next twenty four hours with you." At Steve's nod, Doc continued. "You know the symptoms to watch out for. Any nausea or vomiting, blurred vision or changes in his conscious state, I want him straight back here." Turning towards his patient Doc continued with his stern orders, "And you Detective, please try not to get shot – if it were up to me it would be paperwork for you until the bump on the back of your head goes away."

A wry smile appeared on the Second-In-Command's face, "I'd have to clear it with my boss," he deadpanned.

"I'm sure he'll accommodate you," Bergman answered with a liberal helping of dry humor. "I would still like to keep you overnight for observation after the scan but I know it means having to fight both of you."

"I'd like to go home, please." Dan answered, moving to sit up in his bed and push the thin white blanket to the side. The quick movement left him feeling dizzy and slightly nauseous but he persevered. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Steve inch forward but he waved a hand, stopping his friend in his tracks. "It's okay," he reassured. "I can manage."

"Wait," the physician ordered, causing the young man to stop in his tracks to peer expectantly at him, before he sighed. "You still have that head x-ray, young man. You're not going anywhere."

Feeling sufficiently abashed, the sandy haired man slid back onto the bed.

Watching the scene before him with keen interest, Steve turned to face Doc. "Are there any other things Danno should be aware of, things we can do to help him?"

"Like I said earlier, Steve." Bergman repeated, "It's a good start if he doesn't get shot this week."

"How were we supposed to know that?" Danny countered indignantly. "Kaimuki kept the knife well hidden. It was in the fish tank, for crying out loud!"

"Well that's what you detective have to figure out. Put those minds to great use. Now excuse me, gentlemen," the Medical Examiner began his egress from the room. "I need to check up on a few of my other patients who never argue or object to my orders. If there is anything else you need – just press the button to the side of the bed and a nurse will be in to help you. As for your head x-ray, the nurse will be here soon."

"Gotcha, mahalo Doc," Danny thanked.

"Mahalo," Steve echoed with a nod of his head. Directing his steely blue gaze back to his injured friend. "How're you feeling?"

"You're the second person to ask me that today," Danny groused as he leaned a bit further back into the comfort of the pillows. "I'm not an invalid."

"Not an invalid – check," McGarrett grinned.

A few beats of silence passed before Dan apologized. "I'm sorry, Steve," he whispered, barely audible above the silence.

Concerned, the lead detective moved a little closer to his Second-In-Command. "What for, Danno?"

"It's your birthday today and… And I ruined it. You should be having fun and celebrating the anniversary of your birth. Not cooped up here in hospital."

"Actually, it could be viewed as the celebration of being one year closer to death. Not that much to celebrate," he quipped. Laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, McGarrett smiled as he watched the fears and worries play out on Dan's expressive face. "Don't worry, Danno. I've already received the best birthday gift, more that I could ever hope for." He stopped, uncertain of how to proceed – they were on dangerously emotional and personal territory here.

Thankfully, Dan seemed to have gotten the message as he felt his chest well up with a comforting and warm feeling. Steve always managed to convey so much without words, where words would seem trite and unnecessary. Touched at the sentiment, it still did not assuage all of his worries. "So I guess your surprise party…"

"Don't rule anything out yet, Danno." McGarrett replied confidently, his fingers lingering on Dan's shoulder. "It is still early in the day – there is plenty of time."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"I don't remember being this old," Steve deadpanned, eyeing the large numbers of candles on the cake in an attempt to cover the '74' on the cake. "When people ask me how old I am, I can now tell them the answer is 74."

"Da people at da cake shop stuffed up, bruddah. It wasn't us," Kono offered as he moved to put the piles of gifts onto Jenny's desk to clear the table for the cake. He quickly moved out of the way so the secretary could sidle in and start lighting all of the candles.

Sitting in a chair moved strategically close to the table, a slightly tired looking Danno to his right. The young man still felt a little nauseous and occasionally had dizzy spells yet insisted on being discharged from the hospital much to Bergman's ire. "74… 47… It doesn't matter. What does matter is that it's Steve's birthday."

"Couldn't agree with you more, bruddah." Chin agreed as he watched Jenny light the candles. Once they were all lit, everyone moved back slightly to give McGarrett some room.

"Make a wish, Boss!" Jenny chimed, beaming with delight as she stood on the balls of her feet, waiting for the big moment.

The lead detective's brow furrowed for a few moments in concentration before he leaned in. Taking a very deep breath, he slowly blew out all of the candles in one blow – despite himself, he believed in the superstition about the birthday candles.

As the rest of the ohana clapped, Steve observed Dan out of the corner of his eye. The younger man was flushed with delight, his face lit up the radiance of the sun as he laughed and cheered, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

Every year he made the same wish when it came to blowing out the candles. Every year, the gift he wished for the most was granted to him – something that he was eternally grateful and thankful for. So long as Danny was mostly in one piece and still laughing and living and breathing, all was right in the world.

Finally catching Steve's stare at him, the Second-In-Command directed his gaze and the two men regarded each other, held captive by each others' gazes as a torrent of warm emotions – of friendship and gladness and care and something remarkably like affection passed between them, Dan wished only loud enough for McGarrett to hear. "Haoli la hanau, Steve."

"Mahalo, Danno, mahalo."

**PAU**


End file.
